The case of the two police officers accused of receiving a bribe amounting to K32 million has direct links to the murder of Sajid Itowala whose murderers are yet to be punished.

The two senior police officers Mabvuto Ng’uni and Evaristo Chisanza were part of the officers investigating Mathew Mohan, the main accused person in the murder of Itowala.

The two appeared in court Tuesday on charges of receiving a bribe from a Zambian of Asian origin, Ahmed Bharuchi.

The Watchdog has been told that Ahmed Bharuchi is an uncle to murdered Sajid Itowala. The two solicited the bribe without knowing whom they were dealing with.

During the trial of Mohan, there were several attempts to bungle the case and police officers involved in this matter were accused of receiving bribes to try to confuse the case so that Itowala’s murderes can walk to freedom.

A Lusaka lawyer and former magistrate Frank Tembo was mentioned in these activities. When Judge Gregory Phiri found Mohan with a case to answer, he also said that Frank Tembo was an accessory to Itowala’s murder. He said Tembo’s involvement was not that of lawyer-client.
“Frank Tembo took charge of A1 Mohan from Pamodzi Hotel, He gave him a lift up to the point where he disposed off the murder weapon at the Great East Road. This is clearly far from the truth that his was a lawyer-client relationship,” judge Phiri said.
Judge Phiri said that behaviour was typical of conspirators in financed murders.

Frank Tembo is the lawyer representing the two police officers in the latest case of receiving bribes.

It is alleged that on April 2 this year, Ng’uni and Chisanza, by virtue of being public officers, received K32 million from Bharuchi as an inducement for them to discontinue investigations against the latter for an alleged offence of fraudulently dealing in a motor vehicle, a matter that was under the Zambia Police Service.

The officers are scheduled to appear in court on April 30, 2011 for mention and possible plea.

Parallel information indicate that the two solicited and did receive K32 Million from a suspect in the motor vehicle fraud case in which Amcor security has lost over K3 billion.

A former Managing director of Amcor is said to have masterminded a scam in which brand new 4+4 vehicles belonging to Amcor were fraudulently sold.
The police investigators were expected to track the people who bought the vehicles fraudulently in order to nab all the criminals.
But the police resorted to asking for bribes. In this case, they asked one of the persons who bought a vehicle to bribe them. They promised him that once he gives them the money, they will let him have the car and find a way to make him get away with the stolen vehicle.